The two most important items to have on an overland vehicle is fuel and water. With this in mind we were looking at options of carrying more fuel. The cheapest way by far is jerry cans, but there is always the problem of where to mount these. Inside the car they rob too much space and they can smell. On the roof we already have 2 roof tents and not really space for jerry cans, also it would push our roof rack way over the limit of the Cruiser and would very negatively affect our centre of gravity. The best place for heavy items are as low as possible. There are a few companies that do extended tanks for the Landcruiser. All of them go where the spare wheel used to be (underneath at the back). Good to have the weight down low, but they are expensive and the spare wheel will need to be relocated. The spare wheel was not a problem for us, as our bigger tyres won’t fit in the old space anyway. We decided on the LongRanger made in Aus after reading reviews. Some of the other brands have been known to leak, apparently.
This tank was not cheap, but it is a high quality item. The next problem was plumbing. The tank ships with all the hardware necessary to install in the place of the OEM Toyota aux tank (about 40l). The aux tank was never an option in the UK so we had to make a plan. You can buy the fitting kit from TBR, but they want even more than the tank cost, and that does not include installation. We decided on a DIY approach and to keep it simple. The easiest way to connect the Aux to the main tank is to tap into the main tank breather, so that is what we did (check Baja Overlander for a complete write up). The other problem was how to fill it. Toyota makes a dual neck filler. Very cool piece of kit. Basically a single hole to fill with fuel, but you can select into which tank it flows. Unfortunately this was never an option in the UK, so we had to look further afar. We found a second hand unit in SA at a reasonable price. We had family bring it over in their luggage when they came to visit (thanks Marcus and Jos).
The other snag we had was that we could not find rubber hose to connect the filler to the tank. They just did not make it in the correct diameter. We tried some cheap stuff, but it leaked straight away. Eventually we had to bite the bullet and order silicone hoses that are fuel resistant. Good stuff, but VERY expensive. Unfortunately we had run out of time and alternatives. In the end the tank works very well, but we do not have a level indicator. Will try and find one secondhand in SA.
We wired in a small fuel pump to transfer fuel from the aux tank to the main. We have a fair idea of how fast the pump pumps and can also see the level rise in the main tank. We can only estimate how much fuel is left.
But how much fuel can we store now and for how long can we drive?